A court in Rajasthan, northern India, has sentenced a man to death after finding him guilty of burning his wife alive because of her skin colour.
The victim, identified by local media as Lakshmi, revealed in her dying statement that her husband, Kishanlal also referred to in court records as Kishandas constantly mocked her for being dark-skinned. She said he repeatedly taunted and humiliated her over her complexion.
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According to court documents, on June 24, 2017, Kishanlal gave Lakshmi a bottle of liquid, claiming it was a medicine to lighten her skin. When she noticed it smelled like acid and raised concerns, he set her on fire.
Judge Rahul Choudhary called the case one of the “rarest of the rare” and described the murder as “a crime against humanity.” The court explained that such brutal crimes are becoming frequent, and a strong punishment was necessary to keep the fear of the law alive.
Prosecutor Dinesh Paliwal, who presented 14 witnesses and 36 documents, praised the verdict as “historic.” Speaking to the BBC, he said: “A young woman in her early 20s was murdered brutally. She was someone’s sister, someone’s daughter. If we don’t protect our daughters, then who will?”
The ruling also highlighted how Kishanlal betrayed his wife’s trust and showed “excessive cruelty,” with the court noting that his actions reflected “a heinous mindset rooted in prejudice about skin tone.”
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The death sentence has been sent to the high court for confirmation. Kishanlal still has 30 days to appeal, and his lawyer maintains that Lakshmi’s death was an accident.
In its closing remarks, the court said: “This heart-wrenching act was not just a crime against Lakshmi, but a crime that shocks the conscience of all humanity. Such brutality has no place in a civilized society.
